For our first visit, we headed to Flame & Fire, an independent bar and grill on King’s Road, just minutes from Ravenscourt Park. Known for its dry-aged steaks, it’s one of those places easy to walk past but definitely worth walking into.
First impressions
The first thing you notice is the atmosphere. The restaurant has a modern, elegant interior with soft lighting and comfortable seating but doesn’t feel overly formal. It’s stylish yet relaxed enough to spend a couple of hours catching up with friends, celebrating a birthday or settling in for a date night.
We visited early on a weekday evening, so it was fairly quiet, with just a few other tables occupied.
The team made us feel at home from the moment we sat down. We were welcomed warmly, water was poured immediately and they were happy to guide us through the drinks menu when we needed help. Their attentive service continued throughout the meal. When one of us asked for a non-alcoholic version of a cocktail, they recreated it beautifully, right down to the presentation. It certainly didn’t feel like the compromise a non-alcoholic version can sometimes be.
The food
Choosing from the à la carte menu wasn’t easy. There was plenty to tempt us and after several minutes of pointing at things and saying, “Ooh... that sounds good,” we finally made our decisions.
To start, Kristina ordered the Fresh Burrata Salad, while I went for the Tricolore Salad, a new addition to the menu for summer.
Kristina’s burrata was soft and creamy, with that rich centre you hope for when you cut into it. The Italian burrata was served with colourful heirloom tomatoes, white rocket and a homemade balsamic dressing that gave the dish just enough sharpness to balance all that creaminess. It disappeared suspiciously quickly, which is usually a very good sign. I managed to steal one bite before the plate was empty.
My Tricolore Salad was exactly what I wanted on a warm summer evening. Milky Italian mozzarella came with fresh tomatoes, avocado and the same homemade balsamic dressing. The mozzarella was tender, almost melting in my mouth.
Main event
Although Flame & Fire is best known for its steaks, I couldn’t resist the Lamb Shank, and I’m very glad I didn’t.
The lamb is slow-cooked for six hours with red wine, rosemary and celery, and you can tell that time has done its job. It practically fell off the bone. In fact, I barely needed my knife. It seemed to surrender the moment I looked at it.
The cooking juices are used to make the sauce poured over the lamb, so the whole dish had the deep, rich flavour you’d expect from something gently cooking for hours. Served on creamy mashed potato with steamed broccoli, it was proper comfort food. There were pomegranate seeds in the sauce too, adding a little hit of sweetness and freshness against all that richness. It was easily my favourite dish of the evening.
Kristina, meanwhile, went for what many people come to Flame & Fire for: the Sirloin Steak, cooked medium rare. The steak is Scottish Angus, free-range, grass-fed and dry-aged, and it arrived exactly as she’d asked. It was tender, with the deep, savoury flavour you want from a good steak. Alongside it came creamy spinach while the velvety peppercorn sauce added just enough richness without taking over.
Safe to say, there wasn’t much left on her plate either.
Always leave room for dessert
Even though we’d both insisted we were “far too full”, somehow we found room to share the Homemade Cheesecake. It’s one of the restaurant’s most popular desserts and we could see why. Rather than the dense, heavy cheesecake you might expect, this one was light and almost mousse-like, with chocolate and hazelnut giving it plenty of flavour without making it feel too rich after a big meal.
And yes, we really did share it. Mostly. It was a lovely way to finish the evening.
And the price?
We found the prices pretty much in line with what you’d expect from a quality independent restaurant in West London. It’s probably not somewhere we’d pop into every other day for a quick bite, but that’s not really what it’s trying to be. For an evening out with good food, comfortable surroundings and attentive service, we came away feeling we’d had a proper night out rather than just gone somewhere to eat.
Would we go back?
Absolutely. In fact, we’d barely left before the conversation turned to what we’d try next.
The other dry-aged steaks are an obvious contender, especially after watching a Tomahawk Steak being carried past our table. We both stopped talking for a second and looked at it. It was enormous. And judging by the size of it, that’s definitely one to share. (Unless you’re feeling particularly ambitious.)
What also became clear is that Flame & Fire is more than simply a steakhouse. The restaurant describes itself these days as more of a “steak and bistro” and looking at the wider menu, that makes sense.
Alongside its range of dry-aged UK steaks, Irish Wagyu and Japanese Wagyu, there are dishes with a definite French influence. The Chicken Supreme de Volaille, for example, is filled with goat’s cheese, fresh basil and roasted garlic, and served with dauphinoise potatoes, sweet onion purée, grilled courgette and Champagne sauce. There’s also a Fillet of Sea Bass with courgette fondant, prawn, clam and beurre blanc sauce.
Our verdict
There were plenty of things we liked about the evening but what stood out was that nothing felt overcomplicated.
The food was fresh, beautifully presented and prepared with obvious care. Flame & Fire places real emphasis on the quality of its ingredients, from free-range meat and responsibly sourced fish to its dry-aged British steaks, and that attention came through in what we ate.
It’s also the sort of restaurant where you don’t feel rushed to finish and leave. We could easily imagine coming back for a birthday, a date night or one of those evenings when you’ve reached the end of a long week and decide cooking is absolutely not happening.
Visit Flame & Fire at 303-305 King St, London W6 9NH
